Monday, June 29, 2009

a Loblaws cake - without going to Loblaws

Today is Sara's birthday - the big 2-8 - she's twenty-eight and feeling GREAT! As a long-time friend of Sara's - I can appreciate that she likes to celebrate each and ever birthday with a white cake from the grocery store - full of sugar and butter. Well, my goal this year was to make the "loblaws" cake with a homemade version... S-U-C-C-E-S-S!

I found a recipe on Katy's Sugarlaws blog -she pretty much described exactly what Sara wants in a cake - so I figured it was worth the time and effort to try out the recipe. Followed exactly - no substitutions or additions, this is a classic birthday cake.

Bonne fĂȘte my belle Sara!

Sara's Birthday Sheet Cake
ingredients:
1 1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened (1 stick)
1/4 tsp vanilla salt
1/4 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. water
3 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1 tbsp b. powder
2 1/4 c. all purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, salt, cream, water, egg yolks and egg until smooth.

Add 1 cup of flour and the b. powder, beat until combined.

Add the remaining 1 1/4 c. of flour, beat until combined.

Pour the batter into a cake pan (a larger pan) and bake for 40 minutes - your toothpick should come out clean.

Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.

Buttercream Frosting
ingredients:
1 1/2 c. white sugar
3 egg whites
1 1/2 c. butter, softened (3 sticks)
1 tbsp vanilla
food colouring

Heat the egg whites and sugar on a double boiler. Make sure that the water doesn't boil and touch the glass boil (otherwise your eggs might curdle), keep it at a simmer. Beat them until they triple in volume - about 6 minutes on high speed with your hand mixer.

Remove from heat and beat in the vanilla and butter slowly, one tbsp at a time. Once the butter is fully incorporated, refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

When you remove the frosting from the fridge, beat it again - adding food colouring for your desired colour. I kept most of the frosting white and then mixed a bit of pink and a bit of green for 2 additional colours.

Spread the buttercream over the sides and top of the cake. Use two coats - one light bottom coat and another smooth top coat.

Use a pastry bag to pipe any decorations over the top of the cake.

After using all this butter I think I'm ready to attempt a Barefoot Contessa recipe!

Sunday, June 28, 2009

lemon and olives... sigh...




I know I keep going on about the smell and taste of lemons - but really, there is nothing like it... lemons just make things pop! So when I found this recipe on the One Smart Cookie website I just knew that I was going to make it. Based on Julie Van Rosendaal's recipe (her website after all) I can just say... even the raw batter tastes good (yep, licked the spoon) - and my kitchen smells like lemons and olives. Nothing wrong with that!

Rather than making 1 loaf - I decided to use my mini loaf pans and made 8 mini loaves. I also wanted to add a little twist to this one - so half the loaves are the original recipe and then the other half include chopped black olives -to add extra texture and a punch of flavour.

Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Loaf (done 2 ways)
ingredients:
4 eggs
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp b. powder
1/4 tsp vanilla salt
2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves stripped off and chopped
handful of black olives, pitted and chopped
4 sprigs of rosemary to decorate the top, each one cut in half

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl - beat the eggs for about a minute, you want them to get frothy. Beat in the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes - you'll notice that the batter will triple in size and get nice and thick. Beat in the lemon zest, juice and olive oil.

In a smaller bowl, combine the flour, b. powder and salt.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones (with a wooden spoon). Add the rosemary and stir until just combined.

I used my mini loaf pans - it looks like a cupcake pan but has 8 rectangular forms. I sprayed each one with non-stick spray. Pour half the batter into 4 of the mini loaves.

With the remainder of the batter, stir in the black olives. Fill the remaining 4 mini loaves with this batter.

Top each mini loaf with a rosemary half (really just to decorate). Bake for 20 minutes (golden and springy to the touch) in your oven. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

Note: 1 regular sized loaf - bake for about 45 minutes.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

ice cream cake!

The idea behind this was that I was going to use gelato and make a gelato cake... however, I was in a bit of a rush - and ended up just running into Loblaws and grabbing a chocolate ice cream filled with brownie pieces... nothing wrong with that! Paired with my double chocolate chip cookies as a base and some whipped cream - frozen desserts re-created!

I searched my favourite blogs high and low looking for some hints and inspiration... and found it at 101 Cookbooks - Heidi has done it again! Using her Tropical Icebox Cake recipe I was able to adapt it and bring it to Sara's birthday party (one of two desserts that I made for the birthday girl)...

I hope that this recipe is able to inspire you to make an ice cream cake this summer - an easy way to beat the summer heat (or humidity for those of us in Ottawa).

There are a few steps to this recipe - more time intensive than labour intensive.

Chocolate Ice Cream Cake
ingredients:

Crust:
1 dozen double chocolate chip cookies (see recipe from June 25)
3 tbsp brown sugar
5 tbsp butter, melted

Filling:
2 1/2 c. of PC Loads of Chocolate Brownie Chunk ice cream, softened

Whipped topping:
2 c. heavy cream
4 tbsp white sugar

In a food processor, blend the cookies until they become quite crumbly. Add the sugar and butter and pulse until it resembles coarse sand.

Divide the crust in half, and pack a thin layer of the cookie base into the base of a spring form pan. Set the other half aside, you'll need it in a bit.

Take the softened ice cream and layer it over the cookie base. Place in the freezer and leave it there until the ice cream is hard again.

Once the bottom portion of the cake is ready (frozen hard - I left mine in for 90 minutes) prepare the whipped topping. Beat the heavy cream and sugar together over high speed with your hand mixer. You want the result to be thick but not too stiff.

Now, remove the frozen base from the freezer and top it with the remainder of the cookie crumble. Top that with the whipped cream. Return to the freezer and allow it to freeze as well. The original recipe recommended overnight, I didn't have that time, so I left mine in the freezer for 4 hours.

When I removed the cake from the freezer I topped with slivered almonds and removed the side from the spring form pan.

An uber rich treat for Sara!!! Happy birthday (weekend) lady!

some ideas for base and filling - gingersnaps with coconut gelato, my margarita cookies with a lemon gelato, a dark chocolate cookie with a vanilla ice cream/ frozen yogurt/ gelato tossing in some brazil nuts, or a peanut butter cookie with a peanut butter gelato... sigh. so many options. thankfully summer has just started ;0)

Daring Bakers Challenge: Bakewell Tart…er…pudding


The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

When I saw that this was going to be the June challenge I got really excited... thoughts of making 3 mini tart/puddings filled my head... however, time got the better of me, and I ended up with only 1 - a tart that was filled with lemon curd (back to the lemons my friends!) and then topped with frangipane (there is always a first time...)

While I was in Italy I spent a weekend on the Amalfi coast... and if that region is known for anything it has got to be its LEMONS!!!! Lemons have honestly got to be one of my all time favourite smells. I knew coming home that I would have to incorporate these little goodies into this baking challenge :0)

This recipe is broken into 4 parts - the sweet shortcrust pastry, making the lemon curd, frangipane and then the final directions - assembling the entire dessert together! (patience for the length of this entry)

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

ingredients:
225g whole wheat pastry flour
30g sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. butter, COLD
2 egg yolks
1 - 2 tbsp cold water

Sift together the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse in your food processor. Add your butter (you can either grate it in, or cube the butter) and pulse everything until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Again, pulse your food processor - slowly incorporating the water - you want to add the water in slowly so that you form a slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Lemon Curd
ingredients:
3/4 c. sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/2 c. water
3/4 c. lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest (the zest of an entire lemon)
2 tsp butter
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten


In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, flour, water, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Put the pot over medium heat and cook, stirring until it comes to a boil and slightly thickens.

Remove it from heat and stir in the butter. Take about 1/2 c. of the mixture and add it to the egg yolks - it'll temper the yolks and keep them from curdling. Whisk the egg yolks well - once they're smooth, pour them into the saucepan. Return the pan to the heat and cook it, whisking constantly - bubbles will form in the mixture. That's when you'll know that it's ready to be poured into the prepared pie crust.

Frangipane
ingredients:
125g unsalted butter, room temperature
125g icing sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp almond extract
125g ground almonds
30g all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is very fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter looks like its curdling... don't worry - keep beating - it'll be fine :0) After all three eggs are in, add the almond extract and mix, then with the beater still on, spoon in the ground almonds and flour. Mix well - you want the result to be soft, bright yellow in colour and looking slightly curdled (it's the almonds).

Now to assemble everything together...

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Take out the pastry dough and roll in out on a lightly floured surface. Roll in one direction, picking up the dough and turning it a quarter of a turn after each roll (it prevents the dough from sticking to the counter). Once you get your desired thickness, transfer it to your tart pan.

Spread an even layer of the lemon curd onto the pastry base. Top with the frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface (use a spatula). Smooth the top and pop it into the oven for 25 minutes.

Remove the tart from the oven and spread a handful of slivered almonds on top, return the tart to the oven for another 5 minutes.

The finished result is a tart with a golden crust and the frangipane is golden, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove it from the oven and cool on a wire rack on the counter.

A taste of Italy with a British tradition :0)

Thursday, June 25, 2009

an Anna Olsen recipe... Chloe - don't hate me!

A few months ago I was watching the food network and fell upon Anna Olsen's show Sugar and she was baking cookies. Not just any cookies - double chocolate chip cookies. Even through the television the batter looked utterly decadent... and from then on I thought to myself "I've got to make this recipe!"

It's really simple too- combine sugar, butter chocolate and flour (well a couple of other things too). The biggest pain is that you have to chill the cookie dough in your freezer for at least 4 hours prior to baking. The good news is once you make a batch of these, make some more and just keep it in the freezer... nothing wrong with frozen cookie dough ;0)

note: I bought a scale... so I actually use it and that's why sometimes I use measurements that are in grams and ounces... sorry!


Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

ingredients:
1/2 c. butter
8 oz white chocolate
4 eggs, room temperature
1 1/4 c. brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp b. powder
1/4 tsp vanilla sugar
6 oz dark chocolate chips

Over a pot filled with a couple of inches of simmering water, place a metal bowl and add the butter. Melt it halfway, and add the white chocolate. Whisk the two of them together to melt - don't worry if they separate (mine did). Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs with the sugar and vanilla. Beat for about 5 minutes - you wants a thick batter. The brown sugar will continue to lighten as you beat it - you want it to become a pale caramel colour.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, b. powder and salt together.

Return to your large bowl, add your white chocolate and butter to it. Beat well to combine. Add the flour mix to it and continue beating everything together. Once everything is combined, stir in the chocolate chips with a wooden spoon.

Cover your bowl with plastic wrap and allow to chill for at least 4 hours in the freezer.

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Using your mini ice cream scooper -spoon out the cookie dough and roll gently to shape into a ball. Place on your parchment line cookie tray. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes.

So I made the cookies... but follow the blog and see where these cookies will end up... ;0) there's always gotta be a twist!


FYI - this batch made me almost 4 dozen cookies... plenty for all those cookie monsters!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

a different combo...

So today is a pretty celebratory day... first off, it's Kailey's birthday (happy birthday girl!) and it's John's last day at work (it's a good thing)... I wanted to make something unique for the two of them.

I was looking at some of my favourite blogs/ websites and ended up on One Smart Cookie and found a recipe for a Third-Month-of-the-Year Cake (originally from Chocolate by Trish Deseine)...

This cake incorporated a chocolate base with a meringue topping... strange - and yet what could be wrong with that?

So in honour of both Kailey and John - here is my version of this cake!

Mocha-Meringue Cake
ingredients:
1/2 c. butter, softened (1 stick of butter)
1 1/4 c. brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 tsp. espresso powder
1 c. hot water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. b. powder
1/4 tsp. salt (I used my vanilla salt)

Meringue:
3 egg whites
1/2 c. w. sugar

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

Line your 2 round cake pans with wax paper and spray them with nostick spray... I used my spring form pans so that I could also remove the sides without ruining the top... read on and you'll understand the reason to be so careful.

Then, stir your cocoa and espresso powders into the hot water - whisk everything really well so that you don't have any lumps.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and the sugar together - you want a fluffy combo. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the cocoa-espresso mixture and the vanilla. Add the flour, b. powder and salt, beating at a low speed until just combined.

Divide the batter between your two pans. Bake for 30 minutes.

Just prior to taking the cakes out of the oven, start on your meringue.

In a large bowl, beat your egg whites - starting at a lower speed until they get foamy, then slowing increase the speed on your hand mixer. Once you have some volume, add the sugar - about a tbsp at a time. Once all the sugar is in, put the mixer at high speed and bring the meringue to that point where it's glossy and has stiff peaks.

Divide the meringue between the two cakes. You want to spread the meringue ontop of the cake batter gently. Make sure that there is at least an inch around the edges so that it can expand while it bakes.

Bake in the oven for another 10 minutes - the meringue will be golden and the cake will be springy to the touch (and your kitchen will smell of chocolate goodness). Let them cool in the pans until just warm, then (and this is where the spring form pan is important) remove the cakes gently from the pans and peel off the wax paper. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Now - if you decide to make this into a layer cake - whip up some whipping cream and put that between the two layers.

Drizzle with some slivered almonds.

Happy Birthday Kailey! Best of luck John!

You both deserve the very best :0)

Sunday, June 21, 2009

rather than throwing it away...

Upon my return from my trip to Rome I realized that I had some cauliflower that desperately needed to be used... along with some ground chicken and mushrooms. I usually make a shepherds pie with turkey, mushrooms and sweet potatoes... so why not with chicken, mushrooms and cauliflower?

You can be sure you wouldn't find this version in Scotland... but for this urban shepherdess, I quite enjoyed the result!

Shepherdess Pie

ingredients:
1 lb. ground chicken
1 package button mushrooms, sliced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1/2 jar salsa verde
1 tbsp flour
cayenne pepper
chilli powder
head of cauliflower, divided into florets
dijon mustard
tin of green peas, rinsed and drained

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Heat a large pan over medium high heat and cook the mushrooms and celery. Add the chicken to the veggies and brown the meat. Add your cayenne pepper and chilli powder to the mixture - flavour to your own personal preference. Once the meat has browned, add the salsa verde and the flour to the pan - stir well so that the flour can thicken the mixture. Set aside.

Meanwhile, you'll want to fill a large pot a 1/4 of the way with water and bring it to a boil. Add the cauliflower to the boiling water (you don't want the water to cover the vegetable, you just want to steam it). Once the cauliflower is cooked through, drain it and throw it into your food processor. Add a good spoonful of dijon mustard and puree both together. You want a super smooth consistency.

Grab your casserole pan or loaf pan and line the base with your meat and veggie mixture. Top that with your green peas and then the cauliflower mash... exactly like you would with mashed potatoes.

Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes - you're just heating everything through.

Another use for cauliflower... oh, and just like we all enjoy eating it with a creamy cheese sauce - I bet adding some shredded cheddar to this would be excellent as well.

bars inspired by a pie

Father's day - a reason to bake a little treat specially for my papa. As some of you might remember, my father loves pecan pie (I baked him one for Easter) - so I decided to make him pecan pie inspired bars... squares of pecan and chocolate with a hint of maple syrup.

Really easy to make - and substitute your favourite nut for the pecans if they're not your thing :0) The original recipe that is the basis for this one actually called for walnuts. So anything goes...

Pecan & chocolate bars
ingredients:
1 c. pecan pieces (make them about the same size as chocolate chips)
1/2 c. (1 stick) of butter, room temperature
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. b. powder
1/4 c. maple syrup
1 1/4 c. dark chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Grease a baking dish - I used my rectangular jelly roll pan, but a square pan should work too... use what you've got!

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Once the mixture has gotten fluffy, add the vanilla. Then, with a wooden spoon stir in the flour and b. powder - combine well.

This is where I added the maple syrup - it moistens up the batter just a little (you'll find it's a pretty dense batter).

Stir in the pecan pieces and dark chocolate chips. This should kind of resemble a really thick cookie batter - everything will clump together.

Now, dump the batter into your pan - I wet my hands a little so that I can pat the batter down and make sure that it's evenly spread.

Bake for between 35 - 37 minutes (depending on your oven and the pan you decide to bake the bars in... thicker bars will take a bit longer).

Remove from the oven, cool in the pan and then cut into slices. You should get about 18 bars out of this recipe.

My favourite part of this - is the smell that comes from the oven. Sigh. Nuts and chocolate always go so well together...

Sunday, June 7, 2009

white chocolate goodness...

Seriously, this are little bites of delight. The secret ingredient - white chocolate! Not only are there chunks of the stuff in the cupcakes, but I also top them with a white chocolate ganche. This make about 2 dozen mini cupcakes - they were the party favourite today (Chloe's shower) - and will definitely be made again.

Raspberry and white chocolate cupcakes

ingredients:
1/4 c. butter, softened
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. self-rising flour
1 tbsp milk
1/4 c. white chocolate disks, roughly chopped

Preheat your oven to 375 F and line your mini cupcake pan with paper liners.

In a large bowl - beat the butter, adding the sugar once its creamed to make a fluffy mixture. Add the egg, flour and milk to create a smooth batter. Fold the chocolate into the batter.

Divide the batter evenly between your paper liners and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool on a wire rack.

White chocolate ganache

ingredients:
1 c. heavy cream
2 tbsp butter
1 c. white chocolate disks, roughly chopped
24 raspberries

In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream and butter to a boil. Remove from heat and pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Let stand for a minute so that the chocolate has a chance to melt a little - then stir well. You want to incorporate the cream and the chocolate really well.

For this recipe, chill the ganache in the fridge for a bit before using it so that it's a little thicker.

Once it reaches that point, spoon some on each cupcake. Top each on with an individual raspberry.

A taste of summer... actually, all 3 of these recipes seem to taste of summer - so enjoy eating these while all the berries are fresh!

Now - what am I going to make once the baby is born??? ;0)

Blueberries 'n' cream

Since Joe and Chloe are going to have a little boy - I wanted to stick to the "blue" theme of the party so rather than making a strawberries 'n' cream recipe I opted for a blueberry version. Just as easy and just as yummy. If you want to swap the jam flavour to match your favourite berry - go for it. Just follow the easy recipe below and you're sure to be happy with your final result.

Blueberries 'n' Cream:
ingredients:
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. self-rising flour
2 tbsp milk

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Line your cupcake pan with paper liners - again, I made 24 mini cupcakes, but you can make 12 regular sized ones.

In a large bowl beat the butter to loosen it up a bit. Add the sugar and beat the two together to form a fluffy mixture. Add the eggs (individually), the flour and the milk - always using your beater. Once the batter is smooth, scoop it out evenly into the paper liners. Bake for about 12 - 15 minutes (double the time if making regular sized ones). Remove from heat and set on a wire rack to cool.

Just before you want to serve these cupcakes - make the creamy topping.

Whipped Cream and Blueberry Topping:

ingredients:
1 c. heavy cream
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 pint of blueberries
1/2 c. blueberry jam

In a large bowl, combine the heavy cream and sugar. Beat with a hand held mixer until soft peaks form - that's when you know that the whipped cream is stiff enough to stay on top of the cupcakes.

Now to assemble ;0)


Grab a cupcake, put a dollop of blueberry jam on the top, spoon some whipped cream on top of that and then top the entire thing with some fresh blueberries.

VoilĂ ! Done and done. Simple eh?

Saturday, June 6, 2009

A baby is coming! A baby is coming!

Chloe and Joe are going to become parents... in a little less than a MONTH! So Chloe's sister's used my place to host a baby shower today - and the theme was baby (surprising eh?).

I wanted to bake something, but couldn't pick just one thing - so I made 3 different types of mini cupcakes - lemon, blueberries and cream and raspberries with white chocolate. Really light and pretty little treats for a fun occasion.

I'll post them individually, so that this entry doesn't go on forever... :0)


Lemon "Jellybean" Cupcakes

ingredients:
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 c. self-rising flour

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line your mini cupcake pan with paper liners (you'll get 24 cupcakes out of this batter - or 12 regular cupcakes).

In a large bowl - with your hand mixer beat the butter until it's fluffy. Add the brown sugar and beat until the two are creamed together. Add the eggs (one at a time), lemon zest and juice, and finally beat in the flour. Once your batter is smooth, take your scooper and divided it among the 24 mini cupcakes.

Bake for about 12 - 15 minutes (depending on your oven).

Remove the cupcakes from the tin, allow to cool on a wire rack. While they are cooling, make the frosting.

Lemon Buttercream:

ingredients:
1 c. butter, softened
3 c. powdered sugar
3 tbsp boiling water
1 tbsp lemon juice
24 baby jelly beans (I used a dozen of each: lemon and margarita flavoured)

With your hand held mixer, beat the butter until it's fluffy. Add the sugar, the water and the lemon juice and beat until your buttercream is smooth.

I added a few extra drops of lemon juice because I really wanted the buttercream to taste of lemon.

Spoon enough frosting onto each cupcake to cover, and top with 2 jelly beans (1 of each falvour).

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Almonds... the power nut!

I admit it. I will buy those overpriced flavoured almonds - wasabi flavoured, chilie and lime, smokehouse bbq... you name it I'm willing to try it (and normally love it). Last year at this time I discovered a gourmet almond mix (Sahale Snacks) - which included some raisins, almonds, sesame and flax seeds baked in balsamic vinegar and sugar (as well as a PB&J flavour... DELISH). I decided to try and make my own version of the first one tonight.

I really just tossed everything together - I didn't measure anything, just eyeballed everything. I think the basic cooking instructions could be used for whatever nut you want to flavour - just remember that if you decided on an assortment that their size will determine cooking time (a brazil nut will bake slower than an almond or cashew).

Sweet and Spicy Almonds

ingredients:
bunch of almonds
olive oil
balsamic vinegar reduction (twice the amount of the olive oil)
brown sugar
cayenne pepper
cinnamon powder
sesame seeds
flax seeds

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a cookie sheet with your almonds - make sure that they are well spread out. Toast them for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine all the other ingredients.

Remove the almonds from the oven, lower the temperature to 300 F.

Add the almonds to the sticky balsamic sugary mix and stir well to make sure that the nuts are well covered.

At this point, before putting the almonds back on the cookie sheet, line it with some parchment paper (easier clean up).

Spread the almonds on the cookie sheet and return to the oven. You'll bake them for between 20 - 25 minutes, stirring them every 5 minutes.

Once done, let the nuts cool on the cookie sheet. Once cooled remove and store.

Next time I'm going to add some dried apple and dates... :0) I'm already looking forward to the next batch!